Starting mechanism



June 9, 1936. R. M. NARDONEY 2,043,527

STARTING MECHANISM Original Filed May 8, 1931 Patented June 9, 1936 STARTING MECHANISM Romeo M. Nardone, East Orange, N. J., assigner to Eclipse Aviation Corporation, East Orange, N. J., a corporation of New Jersey Original application May 8, 1931, Serial No.

536,031. Divided and this application September 20, 1935, Serial No. 41,467

9 Claims.

This invention relates to starting mechanism for internal combustion engines, and more particularly to engine starters of the inertia type.

An object of the present invention is to provide novel means for operatively connecting a starter of the foregoing type to the engine, whereby energy which has been stored in the inertia member of the starter is rendered effective to start the englne.

Another object of the invention is to provide in an inertia starter embodying manually operable means for energizing the inertia element,` novel engine-engaging means so disposed and interrelated with said energizing means as to permit operation of both through the same agency.

A further object of the invention is to provide in a unitary structure, inter-related means for selectively cranking the engine by transmitting thereto energy previously stored in an inertia element of said structure, or by direct manual operation of an engine-engaging member.

A further object is to provide an engine starter of the foregoing type embodying a novel construction possessing practical merit and insuring efficiency and reliability in operation.

These and other objects will become apparent upon inspection of the following specification and the accompanying drawing, wherein is illustrated the preferred embodiment of the invention. It is to be expressly understood, however, that the drawing is intended merely to serve as an illustration of one mode of embodying the invention in a practical form and is not designed as a denition of the limits of the invention, reference being had for this purpose to the appended claims.

In the drawing,

Fig. 1 is a central vertical section of a device embodying the invention; and

Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view along the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Referring particularly to Fig. l, the invention is therein shown embodied in a housing comprising two sections 5 and 6, the former being adapted to be secured to an extension 1 of the crankcase of an internal combustion engine, the casing 5 being provided for this purpose with a flange 8 having suitable openings adapted to receive bolts 9 for mounting the starter in operative. position with respect to the crankshaft IB, or other rotatable member of the engine operatively connected to such crankshaft.

Suitable means are provided for attaching the section 5 to the section 6, such means comprising, as shown,` a plurality of bolts I2 adapted to secure together the flanges I3 and |4 provided on the sections 5 and 6 respectively. The section 6 is further provided with an outwardly extending boss or hub 3| serving to rotatably support a. manually operable shaft |28, and .within the re- 5 cessed end |32 thereof there is received an extension |33 of shaft |28, said extension |33 being drivably connected, through suitable speed multiplying mechanism to be described, to a ywheel 2| of suitable mass and weight to constitute an inertia member in which energy may be stored for subsequent transmission to the engine member Ill.

The means employed for drivably connecting the hand cranking means just described to the flywheel 2|, preferably comprises a system of gearing including a planetary gear assembly associated with the shaft |33 and operable to transmit the rotary movement of said shaft to a second set of gears which are in turn drivably associated with the flywheel. The planetary gearing preferably comprises a plurality of planet gears 32, each of which is rotatably mounted on a bolt 33 threadedly secured to a recessed plate or driving barrel |42 for rotary movement therewith, the barrel |42 having a centrally disposed hub |46, the inner circumferential. surface of which is drivably connected to the end of shaft |33,` suitable key means I4ll being provided for this purpose. The bolts 33 are in turn adapted to be held in proper spaced relation to the barrel |42 by the provision of suitable collars 38 interposed between the bolt heads 39 and the spacer sleeves 40, the

, latter being adapted to rotatably receive the mounted.

The planetary assembly further comprises the provision of an internally toothed annular gear 42 which is preferably secured to the casing 5 by means of bolts, dowel pins 43 being also provided to aid in properly positioning the gear 42. The annulus gear 42 therefore constitutes a reaction gear about which the planets 32 travel while rotating around a centrally disposed sun gear |50 with which they mesh. Sun gear I5|l is an extension of the hub of a gear |5| rotatable relatively to sleeve |31, the relative rotation being facilitated by provision of bearings |52.

The means for drivably connecting gear |5I with the ywheel 2| preferably includes a gear 53 and a pair of pinions 5I and 80, the former being integral with the hub 52 of gear 53 and in mesh with gear |5I, and the pinion 80 being in mesh with gear 53, and integral with a shaft 59 rotatably supported, with the assistance of ball bearings 66 and 6|, in an annular plate 62 havinga flange 63 provided with apertures through which pass screws 64 adapted to threadedly engage correspondingly threaded openings in the dividing wall 56. The member 59 is flanged at its inner end as indicated at 65 with splines adapted to engage alternate members of an annular disc clutch assembly 66, the intermediate members of which are similarly splined at their inner circumferential edges to the hub 61 extending axially forward of the ywheel 2|. A spacer sleeve 69 is preferably interposed between the hub 61 of the flywheel and the member 59 of the clutch assembly to permit relative rotation therebetween, the said spacer sleeve also extending forward to permit relative rotation of the member 59 and the centrally disposed shaft or rod 12 which, in cooperation with a spring 43 provided in the recess 14 of the flywheel, maintains the desired frictional pressure on the friction surfaces of the clutch assembly through the pressure of the spring 43 against head 13 of rod 12, suitable ltension adjusting means being provided, as shown at 16, where such means takes the form of a collar surrounding the rod 12 and rotatable relatively thereto through the instrumentality of the ball bearing 11, a nut 18 being provided to maintain the collar 16 in adjusted position on the shaft 12. Surrounding extension |33 is a compression spring |35, abutting at one end the shoulder |36 of shaft |33 and at the other end the sleeve |31, functions to normally main- `tain the meshing member |24 in the position shown in Fig. 1, the spring cooperating to this result with the nut |38 threaded to the end of the shaft |33 and abutting the end surface of the hub of meshing member |24. The latter is in turn secured for rotation with the shaft |33 by the provision of. suitable splines |46 and is in turn adapted to rotate the barrel |42 through a suitable driving connection, which indicated at |44, takes the form of radially disposed splines or teeth extending from the member |24 into engagement with corresponding splines or teeth on the end surface of the hub |46 of the member |42. The s aid hub |46 is further provided with circumferential splines |41 adapted to engage corresponding splines on the inner circumferential surface of the meshing member |23.

The meshing member |23 in the embodiment now being described has associated therewith novel actuating means comprising preferably a meshing shaft |66 to the inner end of which is secured a crank arm |6| having a pin |62 engageable with the circumferential groove |64 of the meshing member |23, the outer end of the pin being provided with a similar crank arm |65, to which is attached a handle |66 and pin |61, constituting an anchoring post for one end of. a torsion spring |68, the other end being suitably secured by suitable means |69 to the meshing -shaft |66. As best viewed in Fig. 2, a pin |16 formed on the crank arm |65 is adapted to engage a pawl |1| pivoted to the casing and having a tooth |12 normally urged by spring |13 into engagement with a notched recess provided in shaft |66.

Having thus enumerated the parts entering into the embodiment shown in Figs. 1 and 2, it will be evidentthat the operation thereof is as follows:

When it is desired to crank the engine by the indirect method, the shaft |26 is rotated to store the necessary energy in the inertia member, the flywheel driving connection including an inner meshing jaw |24, splines |44, spider 42, planet gears 32, gears |56 and -|5|. When the required amount of energy has thus been stored in the ywheel, the operator turns the crank |65 and thereby causes pin |16 to engage the cam surface |14 of pawl |1|, to retract the tooth |12 from shaft |66, thereby permitting torsion spring |66 to whip the outer driving jaw |23 (which has meanwhile been rotating with the spiderv |42) into a suddenly executed meshing engagement with the engine jaw. This snap action unwinds the spring |68, so that the engine, on starting under its own power, will operate to demesh the starter jaw |23, and at the same time return shaft |66 in locking relation to tooth |12, whereupon spring |13 is effective to hold the parts in non-meshingv position until the next starting operation.

When it is desired to crank the engine by direct action, the member |28 is caused to rotate and at the same time move axially forward, thereby compressing spring |35 and moving the inner meshing member |24 into engagement with the engine member |15. Thereupon the engine may be turned over by the direct action of the shaft |28, the connection for the ywheel being broken- 25 by the withdrawal of. member |24 and the splines |44 from engagement with the hub |46 of spider |42. Upon starting of the engine under its ow n power, thespring |35 is eiective to return the member |24 to the position shown in Fig. 1 30 whereupon the latter will come to rest assuming cessation of the driving action imparted to the shaft |28.

There is thus disclosed a novel engine starting mechanism of such construction to permit cranking the engine either by direct cranking action or through the intermediary of an inertia member.

It is to be understood that various other changes may be made in the construction, ar- 40 rangement and inter-relation of the parts constitut-ing the invention without departing from the spirit thereof, the extent of the permissible variations being ascertainable by reference to the appended claims. This application is a division 45 of my application No. 536,031, filed May 8, 1931. What is claimed: l 1. In an inertia starter for internal combustion engines, in combination with an inertia element, a manually operable meshing member, 50

operatively connected with said inertia element to be driven thereby, an engine member, a manually operable shaft for energizing the inertia element of the starter to store therein suiiicient energy for cranking purposes, a second meshing 5 which energy is stored for subsequent transo mission to said engine member the combination with said ywheeland engine member of torqueA Vmultiplying connections therebetween including an engine engaging member normally in driving connection with said nywheel, and means for breaking said driving connection and by the same `action engaging and rotating said engine member by direct torque transmission thereto, said last named means including a cranking' shaft for energizing said flywheel to store therein sufiicient energy to crank A said engine member by transmitting a multiplied cranking torque thereto.

3. In an engine starting mechanism of the type embodying an engine member and a flywheel in which energy may be stored for subsequent transmission to said engine member, the 4combination with said flywheel and engine member of torque multiplying connections therebetween including an engine engaging member for rotating said engine member by direct torque transmission thereto, and a second engine engaging member rotatable with said ilywheel to crank said engine member by transmitting a multiplied cranking torque thereto, said engine engaging members being disposed in coaxial relation with the axis of said engine member, and means for energizing said iiywheel, said energizing means including said first named engine engaging member as an essential part thereof.

4. In combination with an engine member, a pair of driving members having a common axis of rotation, means engageable with one of said driving members to cause longitudinal movement thereof into engagement with said engine member and to cause rotary movement thereof to crank said engine, and means disposed at an angle to said last named means for moving the other of said driving members into engagement with said engine member and means (including said iirst named driving member as an essential part thereof)A for rotating said second named driving member.

5. In combination with an engine member, a meshing member-adapted to remain out of mesh with said engine member until after storage of sufficient kinetic energy, an inertia element, means for energizing the inertia element to store in said element suicient energy to crank said engine member upon movement of said meshing member into engagement therewith, a second meshing member movable axially to engage and i crank said engine member and means for drivably connecting said inertia element with said second named meshing member.

6. In combination with an engine member, a meshing member adapted to remain out of mesh with said engine member until after storage of sufficient kinetic energy, an inertia element, means for energizing the inertia element to store in said element sufiicient energy to crank said engine member upon movement of said meshing 5 member into engagement therewith, a second meshing member operative to engage and crank said engine member and means for drivabiy connecting said inertia element with said second named meshing member.

7. In an engine starting mechanism, a combination with a flywheel, means including a driving shaft for energizing said iiywheel, an engine engaging member normally in position to drivably connect said shaft with said iiywheel, and means for moving said engine engagingmember from said normal position into engine engaging position to drivably connect said shaft with a member of the engine to be started and at the same time break the operative connection between said shaft and flywheel.

8. An engine` starting mechanism comprising a pair of driving members having a common axis of rotation, means engageable with one of said driving members to cause longitudinal movement thereof into engagement with a member of the engine to be started and to cause rotary movement thereof .to crank said engine, means disposed at an angle to said last named means for moving the other of said driving members into engagement with said engine member, and common manually operable means drivably connected with said driving members for rotating both said driving members.

9. In an engine starting mechanism of the type 35 involving an engine member and ywheel in which energy is stored for subsequent transmission to said engine member, the combination with said iiywheel and engine member of an element having operative connection with said flywheel 40 when in one position and mechanically free of any driving relation to said flywheel when in a second position, and means for directly cranking the engine through the instrumentality of said element only when said element is in the second named position. 

